1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for testing electrosurgical generators. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods including a controller, tuner and step motor configured to simulate an electrosurgical procedure for testing electrosurgical generators to support a variety of developmental and research activities associated therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrosurgical generators that are utilized in conjunction with one or more types of electrosurgical instruments to electrosurgically treat tissue are well known in the art. For example, and in one particular instance, the electrosurgical generator and instrument may be configured to seal tissue. As is known in the art, sealing tissue, typically, includes (in the broadest sense) the steps of grasping tissue with jaw members associated with the electrosurgical instrument and providing electrosurgical energy to the grasped tissue to seal the tissue. To create an effective tissue seal, a specific gap distance (e.g., in the range from about 0.001 inches to about 0.006) needs to be maintained between the jaw members during the sealing process. In addition, a specific pressure (e.g., in the range from about 3 kg/cm2 to about 16 kg/cm2) needs to be maintained on tissue during the sealing process. Moreover, one or more controllers are associated with the electrosurgical generator and are configured to control the amount of electrosurgical energy that is provided to the jaw members during the sealing cycle. All of these three factors contribute in providing an effective, uniform and consistent tissue seal. In certain instances, after the tissue is sealed, one or more suitable devices may be utilized to sever the sealed tissue.
During the sealing process, characteristics of tissue, e.g., impedance of tissue, change due to the fact that the tissue is being heated, desiccated fused and dehydrated. In particular, goes through this cycle, the tissue impedance characteristics change which, in turn, cause the real and imaginary parts of the impedance to behave differently. Most electrosurgical generators are equipped to handle these changes in impedance such that tissue can be effectively sealed. In particular, one or more control algorithms, sensors, etc., in operable communication with the electrosurgical generator are, typically, configured to monitor and compensate for these changes in impedance during the sealing cycles.
Electrosurgical generators may be tested prior to use to ensure that the electrosurgical generator and operable components associated therewith will function as intended during an electrosurgical procedure. As is conventional in the art, to test the electrosurgical generators, a sealing phase may be simulated utilizing a range of resistors with fixed values that are placed on an output of the electrosurgical generator. The fixed resistors are configured to represent tissue that is to be sealed. With the resistors in place at the output of the electrosurgical energy, the electrosurgical generator may be run through a simulated sealing cycle and relevant data pertaining to the sealing simulation may be collected. As can be appreciated, this testing method only provides data that pertains to “purely” resistive loads. As noted above, however, tissue impedance includes both real and imaginary parts, which behave differently. Accordingly, the aforementioned testing method may not provide an accurate or complete representation of the changes in tissue impedance as the tissue is being sealed.